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A STUDENT PUBLICATION OF FLORA MACDONALD COLLEGE
Volume No. 8
Flora Macdonald College, February, 1960
No. 6
Sam Johnson’s Literarj^ jC!ub Outgrowth of S.E.W.
At the last service of Spiritu-1 pie who are willing to read) and
al Enrichment Week. Dr. Frye
said' most coEege students are
familiar with seventeenth ceur
tury literature but know noth"
ing about contemporary twen
tieth century writings. He chal-
leniged us to learn something
aibout the worild arotuid us. The
following morning when Miss
Walker went into her Sopho
more Lit. dlas's, the students
immediately ibegan to question
her about why they were study
ing eighteenth centxuy litera
ture. Replying that we must
know something about our licri-
tage in literature before we can
understand present writers and
their philosophies, she immedi
ately brought the dl^ass back to
the eightenth century. Discus
sing Samuel Jolmson.’s Literary
Caub of 1764, a group wMdi met
,and discussed current writers
and! their works, Miss Walker
came up with; a “bright idea.”
Why don’t you students form a
literary society of your own? ^
The class was all enthusiastic j
about the idoa. Menibersliip wili
be open to any interested peo-|
share views in grouip discxission.
The plan is to obtain paperback
books from a publishing com
pany at fifty cents a; copy, read
a book a month, and then dis
cuss them. Anyone interested is
invited to sign up on the second
floor bulletin boardi and to be
looking for books she is interest
ed in reading. You cam find
these titles by looking in the
book review sections of Time
and Newsweek magazines, the
New York Times, and your
hometown, newspaper.
Sam cand his friendsi met and
discussed literature over their
cups of tea. We have progress
ed past the point of the tradition
of the Englishi tea, but we still
have the same intellectual curi
osity. If yo'U pay fifty cents to
see Rock Hudson in a love
scene, why not pay fifty cents
to hear a twentieth century
writer present ini his way some
of the more serious aspects of
life?
A book a month from the
century twenty
Dr. Vardell Is Acting President
Deans Gwynn and Decker Vice Presidents
■Will stiimilate yovuf minct
tout plenty.
Seminary Deputation
Team To Visit FMC
by Martha Perry
Union Theological Seminary
and the Presbyterian School of
Christiani Education are sending
a deputation team to Red
Springs on February 27 and 28.
This group of students is com
ing as .a vocationali team to pre
sent to college students the vari
ous vocations available within
the church and our denomina
tion.
The team will arrive on Sat
urday and spend the night in
homes in town. Sunday morn
ing one of the group wUl visit
in the W. F. iSimdiay iSdiool dass
and present the morning lesson.
Aifiter one of the U.T.S. students
preaches at the morning wor
ship service, the visitors will be
guests of the W.F. at dinner in
the college dining haH.
Sunday afternoon is reserved
for individu^ conferences with
the team at the college. Any stu
dents interested in Heaming
more about the U.T.S.-P.S.C.E.
program are encouraged to take
advantage of this opportunity to
receive first-liand information
about it.
Simday evening the deputa
tion team wiU again be guests
of the-W.F. at the regular 6:30
meeting at the church. Again
tihere wiliL be time for questions
and) discuOTlon for those inter
ested! in the progrMH they are
presenting.
Some who rememlber Ruth
Evelyn Topping may be inters
ested to know that she is ai mem
ber of this team and lias b^ped
in its preparation for us.
Home Conceit Mar, 19
Lorine Mitchell from Port St.
Joe, Fla., choir manager, has
worked very hard in planning
the Choral Club’s. “Florida
Tour” during April 6-10. The
cJuib win also sing in North Caro
lina, South Carolina, and Geor
gia. As flutist, Lorine wiU ac
company the choir in - Ralph
Vauglm Williams’ ‘Magnificat,”
also featuring Margaret Ann
Martin from Pineville, Ky., con
tralto soloist.
This year’s program) includes
worksi of Handel, Paltesticna,
Brahms, R. Vaughn Williams,
Bruibb, and Hindemith. Other
featured choir soloists are Jane
Woodard, Raleigh^ N. €., Carroll
Shoemaker, Virginia Beach, Va.,
and Violet Culler, Jefferson, N.
C. The accompanists for this
year are Jeannette Davis^ At
kins, Va., Gwen Ha)wley, Mor-
ganton, N. C., and Margaret Ann
Martin, Pineville, Ky.
As student director, Alice
Carol Huggins wil condluct a
portion of the program.
The traditional tartans, rep
resenting different Scottish
plaids wUl be worn for the
choir’s secular programs. Fea
tured also will be a group of
Highland airs and dances. The
dances are imder the direction
of Miss Ethel Bateman, Physi
cal Education Dept. The choir
robes carry the school colors,
royM Wtue andl white, and ini
tials.
Picture postcards of the 1960
OLub may be purdiiaised tar five
VARDELL
CHARLES
The mid-winter meeting of
the Flora Macdonald College
Board! off Trustees was held on
Tuesday, February 9, with the
Chairman' of the Board, Halbert
McNair Jones, presiding.
The highlight of the business
session was the appointment of
Dr. Charles Vardell, Jr. as act
ing presidtent, succeeding Dr.
Marshalj Woodson, who in De
cember accepted the presidiency
of the Edgar Tufts Memorial
Association at Banner Elk.
The new acting president was
bom of distinguished parentage
and has a distinguished record.
He is the son of the late Dr.
Charles Graves Vardeia (Flora
Macdonald’s first president) and
PRICE H. GWYNN, JR.
RODGER W. DECKER
Alumnae Honored Dr. Vardell on 100th Birthday
by Linda Phillips
“Lives of great men all
rem'ind us
We can make our lives
sublime;
And, departing, leave
behind us
Footprints on the sands
off time.”
—^Longfellow
On Friday afternoon, Febru
ary 12, 1960, at 4:00 in the col
lege Auditorium), the alumnae
and students of this college
shared a unique opportunity —
that of commemorating the one-
hundredth anniversary of the
birthday of ,the late Dr. Charles
Graves Vard^, Founder and
cents each from Magie Fish-
bume, Greensboro, N. C., in
charge of publicity.
Recordings of last year’s tour
are still avaUalble and will be
sold following all concerts. The
high fidelity recording has eight
selections by the choir.
The I960 Home Concert will
be Saturday, Mardh 19 in the
college auditoriuini
Builder of Plora Macdonald Col
lege. The Memorial Service —
touchingilly beautiful in its sim
plicity and sincerity—was spon
sored and presented by his
many ‘girls’ who loved bdm —
the members of the Flora Mac
donald Alumnae Association.
A spirit of reverence perme'-
ated the service; there is a sa)c-
redness about the memory ot
one to whose greatness is borne
such immeasurable testimony as
that of the lives of those whose
destinies were shaped by his
character and by the quality o£
the institution he fotmded.
The service opened with an
organ prelude by Mrs. Frances
McPhaul McMilani and a prayer
by Mrs. Hannah McNeill Mc
Millan, botii of Red Springs.
Mrs. Phd)e Harlan Emmons,
Alumnae President, brought
greetings from several aiuiminae
who were unable to be present,
among them Dr. Vardell’s d)aughr
ters. She then read an old) ac
count of the celebration of Dr.
Vardell’3 fiftieth birtbdlay in
1910 at the college.
Linda Rumple VardeU, who
founded the FMC Conservatory
of Music; and the grandison of
Jethro Rumple, and Mrs. Jane
Wharton Rumple, of Salisbury.
His wife is the former Eleanor
Ferrell of Macon, Ga., and they
have one daiughter, Mrs. Clem
ens Sandresky of Winston-
Salem. He wil combine his new
duties with hisi present position
as Dean of the Conservatory of
Music.
Dr. Vardell received his early
education in Red Springs, after
which he was graduated from
Princeton University as am hon
or man; from the Julliard) School
of Music, also with the highest
honors; and from University of
Rochester, where he received
the M. A. and Ph. D. degrees.
He is a man of unusual albility,
and his career has been one of
conspicuous success. He is ex
ceptionally weli qualified for
his new position.
Dr. Vardeli came to Flora
Macdonald) firom Salem College
in 1951, Wihere be had helflrttKr
position of Dean of the School
of Music since 1923. While at
Salem, he was acting president
of that college for several
months during the iUmessof the
president, and was a member
of the Board of Trustees for a
nu)mlber of years.
Dr. Vardell is an' Associate of
)the American Guild off Organ
ists, and the offices be has held
include President of the South
ern District of the North Caro
lina State Music Teachers’ As-
sociaition, and Vice-President of
the Southern District of the Na
tional Association of Schools of
Mtisic. In addition to being one
of North Carolina’s foremost
musicians, be is a composer of
considerable note. Among his
best known published comiposi-
tions are “The Iniimitable Lov
ers,” a cantata for piano and
orchestra; and “Joe Clark Steps
Out,” a setting of old fodik danc
es.
Among other actions taken at
the board meeting. Dr. Price
H. Gwynn, Jr. was elected Vice
President in charge of academic
affairs, while continuing as
Dean of the College. Rodger W.
Decker, Aministratiye Dean of
the College, was named a vice-
president. The Dean of Admis
sions itold the Board that the
registration for the commg year
is double what it was at this
time last year.
No memorial to Dr. Vardell
would bave been comiplete
without music, for both be and
his wife, who foundied the con^
servatory, were lovers 0(£ all
things beautifull. Mrs. Ruth Sinr
dair played Chopio’s Etude in
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